April 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 4

What to expect on patrol
during the COVID-19 pandemic
A BOLO for five call types officers may respond
to during the current national emergency
By Roger Buhlis
Working a patrol assignment
is stacked with challenges, even
without a COVID-19 pandemic. As
the world throws a serious virus
into the mix, policing professionals
have learned – once again –
to be agile as we manage a crisis.
However, this hurdle may be the
most challenging of our careers.
Lexipol’s mantra is, “If it’s predictable,
it’s preventable.” Currently,
we may be able to predict
several things that might happen,
and while we may not be able to
prevent them, we can prepare to
respond more effectively. This article
identifies five call types that
might change your patrol work
and responses to these calls that
might make you more effective.
on the street. We need as many
of you as possible to outlast the
coronavirus; please help yourself
so you can continue helping the
rest of us.
GETTING ON THE RIGHT
CHANNEL
We’ve already seen an increase
in tension and fear throughout
the country. Families are concerned
about food, security, and
anxious to know if they can meet
their needs. They do not know
how long they might be out of
work or stuck at home. Fear and
tension make people act unpredictably
and out of character.
You may have already seen increased
incidents of arguments,
fights over household items and
complaints about the behavior of
strangers.
In addition to your normal duties,
you should be prepared
to honestly and accurately answer
questions, demonstrate
empathy, and convey confident
reassurance. Civilians look to
patrol personnel as a symbol
of strength and stability. If you
never felt like a leader in your
community before, now is your
chance to step up and be the pillar
your neighborhood needs.
Consider expanding your bandwidth
to be more effective. If you
in a particular patrol task (for
example, narcotics or traffic enforcement),
you should consider
becoming a generalist. Your
specific skills are still useful, but
to a lesser degree than typically
required. In these times, officers
capable of effectively responding
to anything that comes along
will be highly valued.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
DURING ‘ROUTINE’ CALLS
FOR SERVICE
Minimizing or eliminating proactive
enforcement work may be
useful to control the spread of
the virus. Reducing unnecessary
contact with potentially infectious
people is the underlying
premise of social distancing.
Although this is ultimately up to
each agency to decide, this practice
would not account for routine
calls for service requiring
an in-person response. In fact, as
a result of the widely accepted
virus protocols, including social
distancing, staying home and
non-essential business closures,
we might experience an increase
in certain calls. In addition to
others you might think of, let’s
identify five:
uncertainty, stress levels within
households rise dramatically. For
some, the pressure boils over
and triggers unwarranted outrage.
Unfortunately, as a result,
we might predict an increase in
domestic abuse cases.
In response, we must follow
the law, agency policy and
regional operating procedures.
When making a legally required
arrest, do so safely, wear PPE
and attend to personal hygiene
as soon as possible afterward.
We have no option to alter our
response to these incidents.
Knowing the law, our policy and
prosecutorial SOPs will provide
a good foundation for your
response. Updated and accurate
victim assistance resources will
also be highly valued during this
time.
OFFICER SAFETY
4. Suicides
The COVID-19 pandemic and
As first responders, you’ve likely
3. Home and business breakinlation
subsequent calls for self-iso-
received reminders regarding
or quarantine have been
personal protective equipment
During emergencies where accompanied by a volatile stock
(PPE), handwashing, face touching,
businesses are shuttered, we market. Many people have seen
and social distancing. We
can reasonably anticipate break-
their savings vanish from bank
won’t revisit these practices,
ins and looting. In the case of accounts, business owners have
except to acknowledge that your
COVID-19, entire school districts been directed to shutter and
job may make it difficult to strictly
have shut down. Experienced unemployment claims have sky-
adhere to these practices.
2. Vehicle collisions
patrol officers know residential, rocketed. This kind of upheaval
Thinking of these routines in
Have you noticed how empty
day-time break-ins increase is unprecedented and likely to
terms of officer safety may provide
the roads are lately? Even during school holidays as teens cause enough psychological
some motivation. Besides
Los Angeles freeways – typically
have little to do and increased strain that we might see an up-
caring for yourself and your family,
parking lots most of the opportunity.
tick in suicides.
every patrol member we lose
1. Domestic disturbance
day – are empty. This may offer We may see fewer groups of This is a condition for which
to quarantine affects the safety
As we often see during major
temptation for drivers who aren’t teens out, but when we do, we
of the remaining members out are accustomed to specializing holidays or in times of economic
staying home. We can antici-
should keep a watchful eye.
Continued on Page 28
26 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 27
pate collisions resulting from
speeding vehicles and red-light
runners. While we may not see a
greater number of collisions, we
may see more violent collision
scenes.
Because proactive traffic enforcement
is discouraged, prevention
strategies are the way
to go. Traffic calming efforts, including
high visibility on streets
you know to be potential highspeed
roadways, might save you
a complicated collision investigation,
as well as someone’s life.
Normally, we would advocate
teen activity groups to occupy
their time, yet we cannot do
this based on social distancing
procedures. In this time, we have
to hope our community policing
efforts – getting to know the
families and kids on our beats
– come in handy. In some situations,
such as teens checking
out empty homes or businesses,
proactive patrol work may be
unavoidable.